The Genesis of a Spiritual Startup

Sanctuary officially opened last weekend, and it was good!

It’s always challenging to decide when to start something new.  Sometimes it’s smart to wait until we feel ready, and other times we need to push ourselves to jump in. 

When I saw that we would be reading the opening words of Torah at the end of October, I grabbed onto those dates.  The week when we relive the wonder of creation “in the beginning” felt like the exact right time to begin a new, exciting project like Sanctuary.  

Each gathering of the weekend embodied a different aspect of creativity, and collectively they formed the genesis of this spiritual startup: 

1. The creative process involves making separations: “God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.  God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness” [Gen. 1:3-4]. 

Differentiation adds much-needed texture to our lives, and at our Shabbat Dinner Gathering, we all felt the benefits of creating space and time in our week to truly be with one another.  We sat around the table, enjoyed delicious food and wine, talked about our lives, and really listened to each other.  The evening felt special, because it felt separate from the rest of the week.

2. The creative process involves an element of surprise.  When God said, “Let there be light,” God didn’t know exactly what would happen or how it would turn out.  Only after taking the risk did God see (perhaps with a sense of relief) “that the light was good.”  At our Family Gathering at Sheldrake Environmental Center, we practiced paying attention with all of our senses, and personally, I was surprised – and moved – to see how bright and beautiful the foliage had become.

3. When we intentionally stop, that can be the most creative act of all.  “On the seventh day God finished the work that God had been doing, and God ceased” [Gen. 2:2].  When God paused, that completed the work of creation.  At the Friday afternoon Yoga Circle, we spent an hour pausing with our bodies, holding poses for longer than we’d choose on our own.  Taking a weekly pause is essential not only to our productivity but also to our happiness, and the yoga practice helped us internalize this ancient message.

​4. The creative process is ongoing.  Sanctuary is committed to bringing Jewish wisdom into dialogue with modern life, and gathering in community around what we care about deeply: food and cooking, political activism, meditation, music, nature, and more.  Along these lines, we are eager to reimagine the path to becoming b'nai mitzvah, and here to support families through other life cycle events as well. 
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We are just getting started!